PodcastBrawl breaks out after Antalya municipality removes illegal outdoor spaces from coastal area
Antalya municipality on July 3 informed businesses on the iconic Konyaaltı coast that their illegal outdoor structures had to be removed within three days. When the businesses did not abide by the order, municipality officials on July 7 began to dismantle the illegal structures, which led to a brawl between the two sides.
Duvar English
A brawl broke out on the Konyaaltı coast in the southern Mediterranean resort province of Antalya between municipal authorities and business owners after the former came to remove illegal outdoor structures from the establishments.
Authorities had informed 33 businesses that their outdoor structures flanking the coast were in violation of local regulations, and that they had three days to remove them from the iconic Konyaaltı coast. Some of the structures were built over the walking path near the coast.
When the business owners declined to abide by the authorities' order, officials from the municipality and police arrived and began to dismantle them. Verbal exchanges and physical scuffles broke out between the officials and the proprietors, prompting riot police to prepare to intervene. As tensions escalated, vacationers swimming in the sea and tanning on the beach left the area.
Municipality officials then announced that the structures had to be removed within five minutes or they would intervene, and the proprietors responded by applauding the announcement in protest.
The owners eventually met with Antalya Metropolitan Mayor Muhittin Böcek, and some of the structures were removed and placed in the back of the businesses while others were taken down by municipal officials.
“All of us provide serious employment. There nearly 4,000 people who work here. The municipality in some ways was understanding. In a gesture of good will we gave them two of the outdoor structures but they will bring them back. They said that they will do what they can in order for us to provide better service here,” said Konyaaltı Beach and Cafe Managers Association chairman Orhan Özer.